Undercurrnet
By David Cohen
If Undercurrent, the first and superior of two piano / guitar collaborations by Bill Evans and Jim Hall, (the other being Intermodulation produced four years later), were a book and not a record, then the blurbs on the back of the dust jacket might read:
"...Lush...beautiful...touching" "...Filled with almost fugitive nuance and effortless interaction" "...Perfection in spiritual and technical communication"
Together, throughout the album, Evans and Hall sound like so much more than just a piano and guitar. Here we have minimalism stood on its head. The smallest number of musicians possible for interactive improvisation producing a sound as full and close as those big block chords in Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra".
The final take of "My Funny Valentine" is my favorite. On the original LP it's the first track. Here we discover the incredible interaction and flawless syncopation of which these two masters of beauty and technique are capable. Yes, it is effortless and lush. Listen especially to the incredible section where Evans plays big chords syncopated against Hall's intricate melodic improvisation. It blows my mind every time I hear it!
Listening to "Romain," I half-consciously, half-subconsciously, compare Evans' semi-rich chordal sadness with John Lewis' single-fingered sorrow on the MJQ's version from their "Pyramid" album.
My second favorite next to "Valentine" though, is "Skating in Central Park". Hall's replication of the skating rink bell, invariably evokes thoughts of smiling skaters, gliding hand in hand or huddled over cocoa, long mufflers slung around their necks, as the last streaks of red-yellow sun are replaced by lovely not lonely chilled gray, only to be warmed by Hall's bass-like guitar scoops against Evans' bright melodic right hand.
I have also written an article for this issue of All About Jazz. It's a retrospective looking back 35 years to when I first heard this LP. In it, and in this review, I hope I have revealed the incredible amount of emotion that this particular album has stirred in me from the first moment I heard, "My Funny Valentine". To this day, I don't think that any other piece of music provides to me, the sense of Mozartian perfection and completeness that this recording does.
Bill Evans
You Must Believe In Spring
By Mark Corroto
Somewhere between the huge box sets of Bill Evans’ work on Verve, Riverside, Fantasy and his final works (and almost final live dates) lie some true gems. Romantics fall easily for the gritty sounds of Evans accompanying singer Tony Bennett from 1975 and his two Paris concerts from 1979, both released on Blue Note, which are indeed triumphs of his spirit. I’d put my vote in for this session released originally in 1981, a year after Evans’ passing.
At the time of this date, Evans was working with drummer Eliot Zigmund and bassist Eddie Gomez. Sure, your favorite bassist with Evans might be Scott Lafaro or Marc Johnson—and someone else might favor Paul Motian or Joe LaBarbera at the kit—but on this particular date in August 1977 producers Tommy Lipuma and Helen Keane captured the existing Evans trio’s magic.
For connoisseurs, this reissue includes three bonus tracks left off the original recording. His take on Miles Davis’ “Freddie Freeloader,” the only track where he didn’t occupy the piano seat on the Kind Of Blue session, swings and is an upbeat blues... two styles critics have claimed that Evans was incapable of. He even pursues a solo on the Fender Rhodes electric piano here (and you newbies thought Uri Caine invented the damn thing). Also included are “Without A Song” and and a brimming version of Cole Porter’s “All Of You.”
But what is it about Bill Evans? Maybe it is that he can play a waltz like “B Minor Waltz” with total patience and lack of bravado. Maybe his tragic life reveals itself in Jimmy Rowles’ tune “The Peacocks,” as he can convey the sensitivity of his touch on the keyboards like no other pianist could. But his music is not about melancholy. Evans music doesn’t say “pity me, I’m tragic.” It soars, expressing emotion, depth, and humanity.
When he covers the “Theme From M*A*S*H,” which is subtitled “Suicide Is Painless,” you understand that to Evans, life was as heavy as a mountain, but death as light as a feather.
Track listing:
B Minor Waltz (For Ellaine); You Must Believe in Spring; Gary's Theme; We Will Meet Again (For Harry); The Peacocks; Theme from M*A*S*H; Without A Song; Freddie Freeloader; All of You
Personnel: Bill Evans - Piano; Eddie Gomez - Bass; Eliot Zigmund - Drums.
Bill Evans
The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961
By Jim Santella
With one and a half hours of material, this three-disc box set proves invaluable. It brings the classic Bill Evans Trio into focus for an evening of modern jazz that's played the way it's supposed to be played. You can relish every nuance of this session because it's not loud, forceful, flashy, or intense. No, Bill Evans didn't design his creations so that you would have your socks knocked off by dramatic intensity. He gave us something to enjoy night after night after night.
"My Foolish Heart," for example, begins with a simple piano melody that comes surrounded by swirling brushes and a somber bass walk. Evans explores the melody from the inside. He lets it simmer gently and wash over the audience gracefully. Everywhere you look, the pianist and his musical partners have sprinkled delicious gestures around the room with a natural aura.
Bassist Scott LaFaro improvises on each familiar melody with a melodic rapport. He contributed several of these memorable compositions, which have become standards. The trio's synergy comes from all of them, and LaFaro ensures that the trio's balance remains level. His solo on "My Romance," take 1, from Waltz for Debby, comes complete with a healthy respect for the composer's original theme. His lyrical manner reappears on "My Romance," take 2, which finds the bassist exploring in like manner, but finding new ways to express his ideas.
Paul Motian gives the session variety through the textures that he selects to help depict each mood. Swirling for one mood and striking crisply for another, he embraces each song with a hug. "Waltz for Debby," take 2, which originally appeared on Waltz for Debby, finds the drummer flapping his wire brushes lightly to create a casual mood, while "Jade Visions," take 2, from Sunday at the Village Vanguard, finds Motian swirling with a dreamy texture. His crisp stick work on "Milestones" helps to create a mood of driving with spirit.
Evans treats each piece with kid gloves. His creations are intended for the listener who wants to appreciate art from the inside. The box set comes with an informative booklet featuring black and white photos and pertinent liner notes by Orrin Keepnews.
Track listing:
CD1: [Afternoon Set 1]: Spoken Introduction; Gloria's Step; Alice In Wonderland; My Foolish Heart; All Of You; announcement and intermission; [Afternoon Set 2]: My Romance; Some Other Time; Solar.
CD2: [Evening Set 1]: Gloria's Step; My Man's Gone Now; All Of You; Detour Ahead; [Evening Set 2]: Discussing Repertoire; Waltz For Debby; Alice In Wonderland; I Loves You, Porgy; My Romance; Milestones.
CD3: [Evening Set 3]: Detour Ahead; Gloria's Step; Waltz For Debby; All Of You; Jade Visions; Jade Visions; A Few Final Bars.
Personnel: Bill Evans: piano; Scott LaFaro: bass; Paul Motian: drums.
Bill Evans
The Tokyo Concert
by Ken Dryden
The Bill Evans Trio's 1973 concert in Tokyo was his first recording for Fantasy and it produced yet another Grammy nomination for the presentation. With bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell, this straight reissue of the original LP mixes offbeat songs with overlooked gems, familiar standards, and surprisingly, only one Evans composition, the demanding "T.T.T.T. (Twelve Tone Tune Two)." Bobbie Gentry's "Mornin' Glory" was an unusual choice to open the performance and seems a bit conservative for Evans. The adrenaline picks up considerably with his mid-tempo waltzing take of Jerome Kern's "Up With the Lark" and a driving "My Romance." Evans also revisits the twisting Scott LaFaro tune "Gloria's Step," which showcases both Gomez and Morell. The closer, "On Green Dolphin Street," is given a slight bossa nova flavor and isn't nearly as aggressive as most of the pianist's live recordings of this popular standard. Although this CD doesn't rank among the Top Five live dates recorded by Bill Evans, it should be considered an essential part of his discography. It seems odd that no additional music turned up for this reissue, as the concert is just under an hour long; all nine tracks are included in the boxed set The Complete Fantasy Recordings.
Bill Evans & Tony Bennett
The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album
by William Ruhlmann
Having completed his relatively brief sojourn with MGM/Verve with 1973's Listen Easy, Tony Bennett was in the midst of forming his own label, Improv Records, when he made a deal with jazz pianist Bill Evans to cut two LPs, this one for Evans' label, Fantasy Records, with another to follow on Improv. The singer and his collaborator ("accompanist" does not adequately describe Evans' contribution, and in any case he received co-billing) got together in a recording studio over four days in June 1975 with no one other than the producer, Helen Keane and an engineer present, and quickly recorded one of the best albums of either's career. For Bennett, it was a dream project; for years (decades, actually), he had been balancing the demands of commerciality with his own inclinations toward jazz and affection for the songs of Broadway masters and of the Great American Songbook. Left to himself with a jazz partner, he naturally gravitated toward both interests. There were songs here that he had already recorded, but never in so unadorned and yet fully realized a fashion. Evans was an excellent accompanist, using his steady left hand to keep his singer centered, but ready, whenever the vocals were finished, to go off into his characteristically lyrical playing. Bennett could seem a bit earthbound when he came back in (he still wasn't really a jazz singer), but his obvious enthusiasm for the project, coupled with his mastery of phrasing in songs he understood perfectly made him an equal in the partnership. As far as the major-label record business was concerned, the 46-year-old singer might have been over the hill and indulging himself, but in fact he was in his prime and finally able to pursue his ambitions unfettered, and that would prove itself a major boost to his career over time. For the moment, he'd made an excellent jazz-pop hybrid in which both musicians were shown off to advantage. [The five alternate takes included as bonus tracks on the 2006 reissue of the album are, not surprisingly, more interesting for Evans' different improvisations than for anything else. But they also demonstrate that he and Bennett tried different approaches to the tunes. The album's lead-off track, "Young and Foolish," begins with both Bennett and Evans on the refrain, but the alternate take starts with Evans alone, followed by Bennett singing the song's introductory verse instead; the version runs a minute longer. The alternate take of "The Touch of Your Lips," on the other hand, is at a faster tempo and a minute shorter. None of the alternate takes actually improves on the originally released ones, but they show how well considered the album was.
Bill Evans
Quintessence
By Leonardo Barroso
Track listing:
CD1: Bill's Hit Tune; Nardis; If You Could See Me Now; The Two Lonely People: Laurie; My Romance; Tiffany; Like Someone In Love; Letter To Evan.
CD2: Days Of Wine And Roses; Emily; My Foolish Heart; Nardis; Yet Ne'er Broken; Quiet Now; But Not For Me; Spring Is Here; Autumn Leaves.
CD3: Your Story; Re: Person I Knew; Polka Dots And Moonbeams; Two Lonely People, The; Theme From M*A*S*H; Tiffany; Turn Out The Stars; Laurie; My Romance; Knit For Mary F.; Midnight Mood; Time Remembered.
CD4: Days Of Wine And Roses; Up With The Lark; Nardis; Your Story; Yet Ne'er Broken; If You Could See Me Now; Bill's Hit Tune; Tiffany; In Your Own Sweet Way.
CD5: I Do It For Your Love; Five; Polka Dots And Moonbeams; Bill's Hit Tune; Turn Out The Stars; Days Of Wine And Roses; But Not For Me; Knit For Mary F.; Like Someone In Love; Quiet Now.
CD6: Emily; Nardis; Knit For Mary F.; Like Someone In Love; Letter To Evan; Minha; A Sleepin' Bee; My Romance/Five.
Personnel: Bill Evans: piano; Marc Johnson: bass; Joe LaBarbera: drums.
Bill Evans
Conversations With Myself
By Jason R. Laipply
Technology and art have always had a tumultuous relationship at best. Advancements in technology have often been greeted by the artistic community by a split response: Some embrace the new technology and experiment with it, reaching out for new forms of expression that were impossible before; others shun the advances, dismissing them and those that use them as poor synthetic substitutions for "real" artistic struggle and creativity.
Today, a great deal of this controversy centers around the use of computers in both the visual and audio arts. Sampling, digital replication, and plagiarism are all issues debated regularly. However, in 1963, the topic of debate was overdubbing, a practice that we regularly take for granted today. And at the center of the debate about this "new" technology was Bill Evans.
Universally considered as one of the top jazz pianists in history today, in 1963 Bill Evans was yet to experience huge commercial success. Drugs, non-focused career management, and bad luck had all conspired to place Bill Evans on tenuous ground, career wise, in 1963. An idea, however, the an album of Bill Evans playing with Bill Evans was hatched, and Evans was game. The rest, as they say, is history....or rather the album Conversations With Myself. Conversations With Myself was a major undertaking, and perhaps, an even greater risk. Overdubbing was sneered at by most jazz people, looked at as "gimmicky" and "synthetic". But Evans, one of the most lyrical musicians the jazz world has ever known, was intrigued with taking the "conversational" approach his trio had been practicing to the next logical level. If three musicians could practice and play together long enough to be able to carry on musical conversations during a song, then wouldn't the musical ideas expressed and explored by multiple tracks of the same musician be even closer to an "idealized" perfection? In 1963, the answer was unclear. In 1997 though, the answer is clear, and Conversations With Myself 's inclusion in Verve Master Edition set exemplifies the positive response.
Garnering a 5 star review from Downbeat in 1963, and a Grammy, Conversations With Myself was an instant classic for the jazz community. Evans work on the ten tunes included here is truly inspired and amazing to behold. In each song, it is as if three distinctive "sides" or "personalities" of Bill Evans are playing together...each keenly aware of what the others are doing, and perhaps more importantly, will do. Evans' amazing musical comprehension is given center stage while running through classic jazz sides like "'Round Midnight," "Stella By Starlight" and "Just You, Just Me." "Blue Monk" showcases a muscularity to Evans' playing that he rarely displayed, while the "Love Theme From Spartacus" showcases Evans' signature use of space, time and inference.
Overall, this album is rather unique for Evans. Known as one of jazz's "prettiest" pianists, the extensive use of overdubbing here adds so much substance to these tracks that it is somewhat difficult for the uninitiated to keep up with everything that is going on. For the fan of Evans though, this glimpse of the artist at a heightened level of expression is very rewarding indeed. However, for the casual fan, I would not suggest this disc. The musical vocabulary is complex enough that the simple beauty of the songs, and Evans playing, is at times lost. Better to start with some of Evans' Riverside albums, or any of Verve's trio albums first, allowing the listener to "build up" a sense of Evans and his ideas...then come back to this album. And prepare to be impressed.
Track listing:
'Round Midnight; How About You?; Spartacus Love Theme; Blue Monk; Stella By Starlight; Hey, There; N.Y.C.'s No Lark; Just You, Just Me; Bemsha Swing; A Sleepin' Bee.
Bill Evans
Explorations
By David Rickert
An article in a men’s magazine once suggested an exercise regimen that consisted of a walk to the local record store to buy one Bill Evans CD every day. That way you would not only be in better shape, but you would also have a great collection of piano jazz as well. It’s an established fact that Evans revolutionized the sound of the piano trio; you can bet that every pianist who ever worked the hotel lounge circuit has worn out the grooves listening to his records. However, unlike the cocktail tinklings of his admirers that end up little more than background music, Evans demands to be heard, seducing you with his indelibly emotional playing. Most aficionados would agree that his trio records with Scott LaFaro on bass are his best, and the natural place for a novice to start.
Explorations is the second outing by this trio and took almost a year to record after Portrait in Jazz, the album that won him such great critical acclaim. Evans conceptualized the trio as exactly that—a trio, where each member contributed equally to the whole. It works marvelously: LaFaro’s nimble bass playing and Motian’s drumming provide a relaxed, rhythmic underpinning for Evan’s graceful chords. The trio works magic here, breathing fresh air into standards such as “How Deep and the Ocean?” and “Beautiful Love” and creating the illusion that these songs were written just so someone like Evans could play them. The highlight of the album is “Elsa,” which is one of the most beautiful piano ballads on record. Many would point to the later live recordings at the Village Vanguard as the essential Evans, but this earlier studio recording is quite a treat as well.
Track listing:
If Undercurrent, the first and superior of two piano / guitar collaborations by Bill Evans and Jim Hall, (the other being Intermodulation produced four years later), were a book and not a record, then the blurbs on the back of the dust jacket might read:
"...Lush...beautiful...touching" "...Filled with almost fugitive nuance and effortless interaction" "...Perfection in spiritual and technical communication"
Together, throughout the album, Evans and Hall sound like so much more than just a piano and guitar. Here we have minimalism stood on its head. The smallest number of musicians possible for interactive improvisation producing a sound as full and close as those big block chords in Bartok's "Concerto for Orchestra".
The final take of "My Funny Valentine" is my favorite. On the original LP it's the first track. Here we discover the incredible interaction and flawless syncopation of which these two masters of beauty and technique are capable. Yes, it is effortless and lush. Listen especially to the incredible section where Evans plays big chords syncopated against Hall's intricate melodic improvisation. It blows my mind every time I hear it!
Listening to "Romain," I half-consciously, half-subconsciously, compare Evans' semi-rich chordal sadness with John Lewis' single-fingered sorrow on the MJQ's version from their "Pyramid" album.
My second favorite next to "Valentine" though, is "Skating in Central Park". Hall's replication of the skating rink bell, invariably evokes thoughts of smiling skaters, gliding hand in hand or huddled over cocoa, long mufflers slung around their necks, as the last streaks of red-yellow sun are replaced by lovely not lonely chilled gray, only to be warmed by Hall's bass-like guitar scoops against Evans' bright melodic right hand.
I have also written an article for this issue of All About Jazz. It's a retrospective looking back 35 years to when I first heard this LP. In it, and in this review, I hope I have revealed the incredible amount of emotion that this particular album has stirred in me from the first moment I heard, "My Funny Valentine". To this day, I don't think that any other piece of music provides to me, the sense of Mozartian perfection and completeness that this recording does.
Bill Evans
You Must Believe In Spring
By Mark Corroto
Somewhere between the huge box sets of Bill Evans’ work on Verve, Riverside, Fantasy and his final works (and almost final live dates) lie some true gems. Romantics fall easily for the gritty sounds of Evans accompanying singer Tony Bennett from 1975 and his two Paris concerts from 1979, both released on Blue Note, which are indeed triumphs of his spirit. I’d put my vote in for this session released originally in 1981, a year after Evans’ passing.
At the time of this date, Evans was working with drummer Eliot Zigmund and bassist Eddie Gomez. Sure, your favorite bassist with Evans might be Scott Lafaro or Marc Johnson—and someone else might favor Paul Motian or Joe LaBarbera at the kit—but on this particular date in August 1977 producers Tommy Lipuma and Helen Keane captured the existing Evans trio’s magic.
For connoisseurs, this reissue includes three bonus tracks left off the original recording. His take on Miles Davis’ “Freddie Freeloader,” the only track where he didn’t occupy the piano seat on the Kind Of Blue session, swings and is an upbeat blues... two styles critics have claimed that Evans was incapable of. He even pursues a solo on the Fender Rhodes electric piano here (and you newbies thought Uri Caine invented the damn thing). Also included are “Without A Song” and and a brimming version of Cole Porter’s “All Of You.”
But what is it about Bill Evans? Maybe it is that he can play a waltz like “B Minor Waltz” with total patience and lack of bravado. Maybe his tragic life reveals itself in Jimmy Rowles’ tune “The Peacocks,” as he can convey the sensitivity of his touch on the keyboards like no other pianist could. But his music is not about melancholy. Evans music doesn’t say “pity me, I’m tragic.” It soars, expressing emotion, depth, and humanity.
When he covers the “Theme From M*A*S*H,” which is subtitled “Suicide Is Painless,” you understand that to Evans, life was as heavy as a mountain, but death as light as a feather.
Track listing:
B Minor Waltz (For Ellaine); You Must Believe in Spring; Gary's Theme; We Will Meet Again (For Harry); The Peacocks; Theme from M*A*S*H; Without A Song; Freddie Freeloader; All of You
Personnel: Bill Evans - Piano; Eddie Gomez - Bass; Eliot Zigmund - Drums.
Bill Evans
The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961
With one and a half hours of material, this three-disc box set proves invaluable. It brings the classic Bill Evans Trio into focus for an evening of modern jazz that's played the way it's supposed to be played. You can relish every nuance of this session because it's not loud, forceful, flashy, or intense. No, Bill Evans didn't design his creations so that you would have your socks knocked off by dramatic intensity. He gave us something to enjoy night after night after night.
"My Foolish Heart," for example, begins with a simple piano melody that comes surrounded by swirling brushes and a somber bass walk. Evans explores the melody from the inside. He lets it simmer gently and wash over the audience gracefully. Everywhere you look, the pianist and his musical partners have sprinkled delicious gestures around the room with a natural aura.
Bassist Scott LaFaro improvises on each familiar melody with a melodic rapport. He contributed several of these memorable compositions, which have become standards. The trio's synergy comes from all of them, and LaFaro ensures that the trio's balance remains level. His solo on "My Romance," take 1, from Waltz for Debby, comes complete with a healthy respect for the composer's original theme. His lyrical manner reappears on "My Romance," take 2, which finds the bassist exploring in like manner, but finding new ways to express his ideas.
Paul Motian gives the session variety through the textures that he selects to help depict each mood. Swirling for one mood and striking crisply for another, he embraces each song with a hug. "Waltz for Debby," take 2, which originally appeared on Waltz for Debby, finds the drummer flapping his wire brushes lightly to create a casual mood, while "Jade Visions," take 2, from Sunday at the Village Vanguard, finds Motian swirling with a dreamy texture. His crisp stick work on "Milestones" helps to create a mood of driving with spirit.
Evans treats each piece with kid gloves. His creations are intended for the listener who wants to appreciate art from the inside. The box set comes with an informative booklet featuring black and white photos and pertinent liner notes by Orrin Keepnews.
Track listing:
CD1: [Afternoon Set 1]: Spoken Introduction; Gloria's Step; Alice In Wonderland; My Foolish Heart; All Of You; announcement and intermission; [Afternoon Set 2]: My Romance; Some Other Time; Solar.
CD2: [Evening Set 1]: Gloria's Step; My Man's Gone Now; All Of You; Detour Ahead; [Evening Set 2]: Discussing Repertoire; Waltz For Debby; Alice In Wonderland; I Loves You, Porgy; My Romance; Milestones.
CD3: [Evening Set 3]: Detour Ahead; Gloria's Step; Waltz For Debby; All Of You; Jade Visions; Jade Visions; A Few Final Bars.
Personnel: Bill Evans: piano; Scott LaFaro: bass; Paul Motian: drums.
Bill Evans
The Tokyo Concert
The Bill Evans Trio's 1973 concert in Tokyo was his first recording for Fantasy and it produced yet another Grammy nomination for the presentation. With bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell, this straight reissue of the original LP mixes offbeat songs with overlooked gems, familiar standards, and surprisingly, only one Evans composition, the demanding "T.T.T.T. (Twelve Tone Tune Two)." Bobbie Gentry's "Mornin' Glory" was an unusual choice to open the performance and seems a bit conservative for Evans. The adrenaline picks up considerably with his mid-tempo waltzing take of Jerome Kern's "Up With the Lark" and a driving "My Romance." Evans also revisits the twisting Scott LaFaro tune "Gloria's Step," which showcases both Gomez and Morell. The closer, "On Green Dolphin Street," is given a slight bossa nova flavor and isn't nearly as aggressive as most of the pianist's live recordings of this popular standard. Although this CD doesn't rank among the Top Five live dates recorded by Bill Evans, it should be considered an essential part of his discography. It seems odd that no additional music turned up for this reissue, as the concert is just under an hour long; all nine tracks are included in the boxed set The Complete Fantasy Recordings.
Bill Evans & Tony Bennett
The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album
by William Ruhlmann
Having completed his relatively brief sojourn with MGM/Verve with 1973's Listen Easy, Tony Bennett was in the midst of forming his own label, Improv Records, when he made a deal with jazz pianist Bill Evans to cut two LPs, this one for Evans' label, Fantasy Records, with another to follow on Improv. The singer and his collaborator ("accompanist" does not adequately describe Evans' contribution, and in any case he received co-billing) got together in a recording studio over four days in June 1975 with no one other than the producer, Helen Keane and an engineer present, and quickly recorded one of the best albums of either's career. For Bennett, it was a dream project; for years (decades, actually), he had been balancing the demands of commerciality with his own inclinations toward jazz and affection for the songs of Broadway masters and of the Great American Songbook. Left to himself with a jazz partner, he naturally gravitated toward both interests. There were songs here that he had already recorded, but never in so unadorned and yet fully realized a fashion. Evans was an excellent accompanist, using his steady left hand to keep his singer centered, but ready, whenever the vocals were finished, to go off into his characteristically lyrical playing. Bennett could seem a bit earthbound when he came back in (he still wasn't really a jazz singer), but his obvious enthusiasm for the project, coupled with his mastery of phrasing in songs he understood perfectly made him an equal in the partnership. As far as the major-label record business was concerned, the 46-year-old singer might have been over the hill and indulging himself, but in fact he was in his prime and finally able to pursue his ambitions unfettered, and that would prove itself a major boost to his career over time. For the moment, he'd made an excellent jazz-pop hybrid in which both musicians were shown off to advantage. [The five alternate takes included as bonus tracks on the 2006 reissue of the album are, not surprisingly, more interesting for Evans' different improvisations than for anything else. But they also demonstrate that he and Bennett tried different approaches to the tunes. The album's lead-off track, "Young and Foolish," begins with both Bennett and Evans on the refrain, but the alternate take starts with Evans alone, followed by Bennett singing the song's introductory verse instead; the version runs a minute longer. The alternate take of "The Touch of Your Lips," on the other hand, is at a faster tempo and a minute shorter. None of the alternate takes actually improves on the originally released ones, but they show how well considered the album was.
Bill Evans
Quintessence
By Leonardo Barroso
Quintessence = The pure, highly concentrated essence of a thing. This is the best quintet album Bill Evans recorded, has a wonderful cover, great tunes, a superb group of jazz musicians.
Quintessence is an album by pianist Bill Evans, released in 1976 on Fantasy Records.Track listing:
"Sweet Dulcinea Blue" (Kenny Wheeler) – 6:02
"Martina" (Michel Legrand, Eddy Marnay, Hal Shaper) – 8:12
"Second Time Around" (Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 3:41
"A Child Is Born" (Thad Jones, Alec Wilder) – 7:30
"Bass Face" (Kenny Burrell) – 10:04Reissue bonus track:
"Nobody Else But Me" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern) – 7:27
Personnel:Bill Evans – pianoRay Brown – bassPhilly Joe Jones – drumsKenny Burrell – guitarHarold Land – tenor saxophone
Production notes:
Helen Keane – producer
Phil Kaffel – engineer
Phil DeLancie – remasteringGalen Rowell - cover photo
Phil Bray - booklet photos
Bill Evans
Turn Out The Stars - 1980
By Doug Collette
The extent to which Bill Evans' studio and live recordings have been recorded, archived and released is a testament to the deserved reverence the late pianist has elicited. Originally available only in a limited run, Turn Out the Stars-The Final Village Vanguard Recordings June 1980 is further evidence of that devout respect.
Far more lavish (and sturdy despite the individual digipaks inside)) than the accompanying box, the essays written by Bob Blumenthal and Harold Danko are extensive in their detail and focused passion, as good a means of describing The Evans trio's own playing as there is. On "Re: The Person I knew," there is no melodramatic lingering on the sweet melody, as if to telegraph its beauty rather a constant turn through its changes. If slowly rotating a fine jewel is the best way to appreciate its true beauty by viewing as many facets as possible—no one angle fully serves the purpose—so, too, is Evans and his trio's approach to a composition's melody and rhythm.
As with Evans' classic trio featuring drummer Paul Motian and bassist Scott LaFaro, the personnel at the time of these recordings—bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe LaBarbera—does its share to make descriptions about telepathic instrumental communication the cliché it is today. Hearing them interact on both renditions of "The Two Lonely People," there is a sense of learning the contours of the composition a little better each time, as much as an increase in familiarity between the musicians. The former lesson is a means to the latter knowledge.
Describing musicians' interplay as conversation or dialogue is a clich&233; of sorts too, but in the case of Evans' trio it is perfectly appropriate throughout Turn Out the Stars. Each player makes his instrument take on characteristics of the other two. Johnson, for example, has as elegant a touch as Evans on "Nardis," from the June 8 second set. Similarly the threesome shares the feel for each others' styles. LaBarbera moves with the same fleetness as Johnson, without any sense of hurry on "Time Remembered" from the June 6 second set
The breaks in the leader's playing on "Days of Wine and Roses," from the June 5 second set, allow comments from his band mates on the preceding interval, sometimes constituting reiteration but more often representing extensions of thoughts just expressed. Each musician is confident enough in his own playing and that of his peers that he can afford to pause and reflect, if only for a split second, on what's just been played, to effectively process what he's just heard.
Given the stellar and staunch presence of Helen Keane and the Village Vanguard venue itself, it stands to reason that the recording here is as immaculate as the playing. The music contained in the six CDs of Turn Out the Stars: The Final Village Vanguard Recordings June 1980 demands to be preserved for posterity in exactly this splendid fashion.
Quintessence is an album by pianist Bill Evans, released in 1976 on Fantasy Records.Track listing:
"Sweet Dulcinea Blue" (Kenny Wheeler) – 6:02
"Martina" (Michel Legrand, Eddy Marnay, Hal Shaper) – 8:12
"Second Time Around" (Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 3:41
"A Child Is Born" (Thad Jones, Alec Wilder) – 7:30
"Bass Face" (Kenny Burrell) – 10:04Reissue bonus track:
"Nobody Else But Me" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern) – 7:27
Personnel:Bill Evans – pianoRay Brown – bassPhilly Joe Jones – drumsKenny Burrell – guitarHarold Land – tenor saxophone
Production notes:
Helen Keane – producer
Phil Kaffel – engineer
Phil DeLancie – remasteringGalen Rowell - cover photo
Phil Bray - booklet photos
Bill Evans
Turn Out The Stars - 1980
By Doug Collette
The extent to which Bill Evans' studio and live recordings have been recorded, archived and released is a testament to the deserved reverence the late pianist has elicited. Originally available only in a limited run, Turn Out the Stars-The Final Village Vanguard Recordings June 1980 is further evidence of that devout respect.
Far more lavish (and sturdy despite the individual digipaks inside)) than the accompanying box, the essays written by Bob Blumenthal and Harold Danko are extensive in their detail and focused passion, as good a means of describing The Evans trio's own playing as there is. On "Re: The Person I knew," there is no melodramatic lingering on the sweet melody, as if to telegraph its beauty rather a constant turn through its changes. If slowly rotating a fine jewel is the best way to appreciate its true beauty by viewing as many facets as possible—no one angle fully serves the purpose—so, too, is Evans and his trio's approach to a composition's melody and rhythm.
As with Evans' classic trio featuring drummer Paul Motian and bassist Scott LaFaro, the personnel at the time of these recordings—bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe LaBarbera—does its share to make descriptions about telepathic instrumental communication the cliché it is today. Hearing them interact on both renditions of "The Two Lonely People," there is a sense of learning the contours of the composition a little better each time, as much as an increase in familiarity between the musicians. The former lesson is a means to the latter knowledge.
Describing musicians' interplay as conversation or dialogue is a clich&233; of sorts too, but in the case of Evans' trio it is perfectly appropriate throughout Turn Out the Stars. Each player makes his instrument take on characteristics of the other two. Johnson, for example, has as elegant a touch as Evans on "Nardis," from the June 8 second set. Similarly the threesome shares the feel for each others' styles. LaBarbera moves with the same fleetness as Johnson, without any sense of hurry on "Time Remembered" from the June 6 second set
The breaks in the leader's playing on "Days of Wine and Roses," from the June 5 second set, allow comments from his band mates on the preceding interval, sometimes constituting reiteration but more often representing extensions of thoughts just expressed. Each musician is confident enough in his own playing and that of his peers that he can afford to pause and reflect, if only for a split second, on what's just been played, to effectively process what he's just heard.
Given the stellar and staunch presence of Helen Keane and the Village Vanguard venue itself, it stands to reason that the recording here is as immaculate as the playing. The music contained in the six CDs of Turn Out the Stars: The Final Village Vanguard Recordings June 1980 demands to be preserved for posterity in exactly this splendid fashion.
Track listing:
CD1: Bill's Hit Tune; Nardis; If You Could See Me Now; The Two Lonely People: Laurie; My Romance; Tiffany; Like Someone In Love; Letter To Evan.
CD2: Days Of Wine And Roses; Emily; My Foolish Heart; Nardis; Yet Ne'er Broken; Quiet Now; But Not For Me; Spring Is Here; Autumn Leaves.
CD3: Your Story; Re: Person I Knew; Polka Dots And Moonbeams; Two Lonely People, The; Theme From M*A*S*H; Tiffany; Turn Out The Stars; Laurie; My Romance; Knit For Mary F.; Midnight Mood; Time Remembered.
CD4: Days Of Wine And Roses; Up With The Lark; Nardis; Your Story; Yet Ne'er Broken; If You Could See Me Now; Bill's Hit Tune; Tiffany; In Your Own Sweet Way.
CD5: I Do It For Your Love; Five; Polka Dots And Moonbeams; Bill's Hit Tune; Turn Out The Stars; Days Of Wine And Roses; But Not For Me; Knit For Mary F.; Like Someone In Love; Quiet Now.
CD6: Emily; Nardis; Knit For Mary F.; Like Someone In Love; Letter To Evan; Minha; A Sleepin' Bee; My Romance/Five.
Personnel: Bill Evans: piano; Marc Johnson: bass; Joe LaBarbera: drums.
Bill Evans
Conversations With Myself
By Jason R. Laipply
Technology and art have always had a tumultuous relationship at best. Advancements in technology have often been greeted by the artistic community by a split response: Some embrace the new technology and experiment with it, reaching out for new forms of expression that were impossible before; others shun the advances, dismissing them and those that use them as poor synthetic substitutions for "real" artistic struggle and creativity.
Today, a great deal of this controversy centers around the use of computers in both the visual and audio arts. Sampling, digital replication, and plagiarism are all issues debated regularly. However, in 1963, the topic of debate was overdubbing, a practice that we regularly take for granted today. And at the center of the debate about this "new" technology was Bill Evans.
Universally considered as one of the top jazz pianists in history today, in 1963 Bill Evans was yet to experience huge commercial success. Drugs, non-focused career management, and bad luck had all conspired to place Bill Evans on tenuous ground, career wise, in 1963. An idea, however, the an album of Bill Evans playing with Bill Evans was hatched, and Evans was game. The rest, as they say, is history....or rather the album Conversations With Myself. Conversations With Myself was a major undertaking, and perhaps, an even greater risk. Overdubbing was sneered at by most jazz people, looked at as "gimmicky" and "synthetic". But Evans, one of the most lyrical musicians the jazz world has ever known, was intrigued with taking the "conversational" approach his trio had been practicing to the next logical level. If three musicians could practice and play together long enough to be able to carry on musical conversations during a song, then wouldn't the musical ideas expressed and explored by multiple tracks of the same musician be even closer to an "idealized" perfection? In 1963, the answer was unclear. In 1997 though, the answer is clear, and Conversations With Myself 's inclusion in Verve Master Edition set exemplifies the positive response.
Garnering a 5 star review from Downbeat in 1963, and a Grammy, Conversations With Myself was an instant classic for the jazz community. Evans work on the ten tunes included here is truly inspired and amazing to behold. In each song, it is as if three distinctive "sides" or "personalities" of Bill Evans are playing together...each keenly aware of what the others are doing, and perhaps more importantly, will do. Evans' amazing musical comprehension is given center stage while running through classic jazz sides like "'Round Midnight," "Stella By Starlight" and "Just You, Just Me." "Blue Monk" showcases a muscularity to Evans' playing that he rarely displayed, while the "Love Theme From Spartacus" showcases Evans' signature use of space, time and inference.
Overall, this album is rather unique for Evans. Known as one of jazz's "prettiest" pianists, the extensive use of overdubbing here adds so much substance to these tracks that it is somewhat difficult for the uninitiated to keep up with everything that is going on. For the fan of Evans though, this glimpse of the artist at a heightened level of expression is very rewarding indeed. However, for the casual fan, I would not suggest this disc. The musical vocabulary is complex enough that the simple beauty of the songs, and Evans playing, is at times lost. Better to start with some of Evans' Riverside albums, or any of Verve's trio albums first, allowing the listener to "build up" a sense of Evans and his ideas...then come back to this album. And prepare to be impressed.
Track listing:
'Round Midnight; How About You?; Spartacus Love Theme; Blue Monk; Stella By Starlight; Hey, There; N.Y.C.'s No Lark; Just You, Just Me; Bemsha Swing; A Sleepin' Bee.
Bill Evans
Explorations
By David Rickert
An article in a men’s magazine once suggested an exercise regimen that consisted of a walk to the local record store to buy one Bill Evans CD every day. That way you would not only be in better shape, but you would also have a great collection of piano jazz as well. It’s an established fact that Evans revolutionized the sound of the piano trio; you can bet that every pianist who ever worked the hotel lounge circuit has worn out the grooves listening to his records. However, unlike the cocktail tinklings of his admirers that end up little more than background music, Evans demands to be heard, seducing you with his indelibly emotional playing. Most aficionados would agree that his trio records with Scott LaFaro on bass are his best, and the natural place for a novice to start.
Explorations is the second outing by this trio and took almost a year to record after Portrait in Jazz, the album that won him such great critical acclaim. Evans conceptualized the trio as exactly that—a trio, where each member contributed equally to the whole. It works marvelously: LaFaro’s nimble bass playing and Motian’s drumming provide a relaxed, rhythmic underpinning for Evan’s graceful chords. The trio works magic here, breathing fresh air into standards such as “How Deep and the Ocean?” and “Beautiful Love” and creating the illusion that these songs were written just so someone like Evans could play them. The highlight of the album is “Elsa,” which is one of the most beautiful piano ballads on record. Many would point to the later live recordings at the Village Vanguard as the essential Evans, but this earlier studio recording is quite a treat as well.
Track listing:
1. Israel 2. Haunted Heart 3. Beautiful Love 4. Elsa 5. Nardis 6. How Deep Is the Ocean? 7. I Wish I Knew 8. Sweet and Lovely 9. Bautiful Love (alt. take) 10. The Boy Next Door. Personnel: Bill Evans-piano; Scott LaFaro-bass; Paul Motian-drums.
Bill Evans
Alone
By Jack Ashby
This is a re-issue of Bill Evan’s first solo album recorded in 1968 and contains seven bonus tracks, six being alternative takes, from the ‘Alone’ sessions – they were recently discovered and not previously issued. Here we have Evans at his best.
In the early 1950s Evans’ was beginning to be recognised as a pianist with great potential and in 1958 he joined Miles Davis. This was a period when Davis also employed John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley and his music was being diverted towards modal improvisation. By then Evans was regarded as an inspired and self-searching musician whose cleverly constituted solos, augmented by masterful harmony, exposed his extensive talent. Although he was only with Miles a very short time it proved to be a vital component in his development.
His next venture was trio work with bassist Scott La Faro and drummer Paul Motian and this together with duo work was the general format of his music until his death in 1980. However, it was inevitable he would make solo recordings and the ‘Alone’ sessions were the result. It would be wrong to say that they were made at the height of his career because his playing hardly ever varied in its high quality.
‘Alone’ is far from ‘easy listening’ – throughout it commands attention. Some fans steer clear of recordings that contain so many retakes and often that is justified but in this case the extra tracks provide evidence of his fresh approach to the repeated performance of a piece. His playing is distinctive but in the composition and length of some of his phrasing there is more than a hint of Lennie Tristano. On a general theme his qualities of performance vary between massive strength coupled with deep harmony to sensitive and delicate melodic lines. ‘Alone ‘ is one of those recordings that warrants listening to repeatedly – each time something new is revealed.
1 Here’s That Rainy Day 7 Track 1 – Alternative Take
2 A Time for Love 8 Track 2 – Alternative Take
3 Midnight Mood 9 Track 3 – Alternative Take
4 On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever) 10 Track 4 – Alternative Take
5 Never Let Me Go 11 Track 5 – Alternative Take
6 The Two Lonely People 12 Medley – All the Things You Are/ Midnight Mood
Bill Evans
Alone
By Jack Ashby
This is a re-issue of Bill Evan’s first solo album recorded in 1968 and contains seven bonus tracks, six being alternative takes, from the ‘Alone’ sessions – they were recently discovered and not previously issued. Here we have Evans at his best.
In the early 1950s Evans’ was beginning to be recognised as a pianist with great potential and in 1958 he joined Miles Davis. This was a period when Davis also employed John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley and his music was being diverted towards modal improvisation. By then Evans was regarded as an inspired and self-searching musician whose cleverly constituted solos, augmented by masterful harmony, exposed his extensive talent. Although he was only with Miles a very short time it proved to be a vital component in his development.
His next venture was trio work with bassist Scott La Faro and drummer Paul Motian and this together with duo work was the general format of his music until his death in 1980. However, it was inevitable he would make solo recordings and the ‘Alone’ sessions were the result. It would be wrong to say that they were made at the height of his career because his playing hardly ever varied in its high quality.
‘Alone’ is far from ‘easy listening’ – throughout it commands attention. Some fans steer clear of recordings that contain so many retakes and often that is justified but in this case the extra tracks provide evidence of his fresh approach to the repeated performance of a piece. His playing is distinctive but in the composition and length of some of his phrasing there is more than a hint of Lennie Tristano. On a general theme his qualities of performance vary between massive strength coupled with deep harmony to sensitive and delicate melodic lines. ‘Alone ‘ is one of those recordings that warrants listening to repeatedly – each time something new is revealed.
1 Here’s That Rainy Day 7 Track 1 – Alternative Take
2 A Time for Love 8 Track 2 – Alternative Take
3 Midnight Mood 9 Track 3 – Alternative Take
4 On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever) 10 Track 4 – Alternative Take
5 Never Let Me Go 11 Track 5 – Alternative Take
6 The Two Lonely People 12 Medley – All the Things You Are/ Midnight Mood
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